Rarities - Muralha (Brazilian Exclusive Flint) MOC

The 1985 Flint is my favorite figure in the Joe line.  Fortunately for me, very similar figures were also released in India and Brazil.  The Comandos em Acao version from Brazil features darker greens and a slightly different skin tone.  In short, it's Flint.  But, it's just different enough to be interesting.

Below is a carded Muralha.  You can see the carry over of the American card art.  You'll notice from the cardback that Muralha was mostly released with other class of 1985 figures.  But, there are a couple of oddballs like Crystal Ball that joined him.  

I've had a loose Muralha for a long time.  He's a nice contrast to the Funskool Flint.  But, he's also a figure I'm loathe to use due to fear of breakage.  That's the main issue with the Brazilian figures: fragility.  The harder plastic is more brittle and thumbs and crotches shatter with little effort.  It's unfortunate as it renders some great figures moot.  But, as a collector, I'm less concerned these days as I simply display the figures instead.

Flint - Where in the World Redux

Flint's my favorite character and figure in the G.I. Joe line.  A while back, I took a look at the various Flint releases around the world:

Flint - Where in the World

U.S. Flint, Brazilian Muralha and Funskool Flint

Flint - Where in the World

G.I. Joe figures were released all over the world.  Some foreign releases were just Hasbro produced figures in international packaging.  Others, though, were made by different companies for the markets which they served.  As such, many figures saw different releases around the world, often with minor to major differences from the American figure.

Hasbro made the first Flint figure in 1985.  He was released through 1986 with no figure modifications.  What is notable is that the figure features a 1985 date stamp on the mold.

In 1988, Hasbro repainted Flint in Tiger Force colors and released him for that one year.  This figure included an updated 1988 date stamp on the figure's legs.

Subsequent to this, Hasbro also produced Flint figures for release in Europe under the Action Force line and in Japan.

Takara (Japanese) Flint Release

After Hasbro was done with the figure, the mold began it's movement around the world.

Flint's first appearance was in Brazil.  Here, the figure was released as Muralha.  He was colored very similarly to the American version.  Overall, he has a darker green hue and his accessories are in the Brazilian Green color that is common to Estrela figures.  This figure also features a prominent 1988 date stamp.

After the Brazilian release, Flint started to appear on the final cardbacks for Plastirama figures in Argentina.  However, Flint was not actually released there.  The line was either cancelled or Plastirama never actually got the Flint mold.  But, his appearance is an interesting turn in what was planned.

Around 1993 or 1994, Hasbro planned to release Flint in China.  The packaging was prepared with the original Flint artwork (in Tiger Force colors as the original had been painted over).  However, since the mold was gone, they could not use it.  Instead, they created an exclusive figure from existing molds and released it in China in colors nearly identical to the Tiger Force Flint.  The Chinese Flint (AKA Tiger Force Falcon) is a great way to get the Flint artwork with a high quality figure.  Plus, they tend to be really cheap.

Finally, the mold was sent to India.  Here, Funskool started producing Flint figures in the 1990's.  The mold they used was the 1988 date stamped version.  Though, Funskool made an attempt to blot it out.  During these initial runs, Flint had several variants on his am construction.  He used arms from both the 1992 Roadblock mold as well as the 1986 Zandar mold.  At some point in the late 1990's, Funskool stopped producing Flint figures.

In 2002, though, Funskool resurrected the Flint mold.  He was released as both a carded figure and as a bagged vehicle driver pack in figure.  Funskool ran several different runs of Flint figures.  Often changing out parts and modifying the colors during 2002 - 2004.  Flint was released with upper arms from Blocker, Blaster and Roadblock.  You can see some major color differences in the various variants in the photos below.  In April of 2003, Hasbro re-acquired 18 molds from Funskool.  Flint was among them.  (The Blocker arm variant was the final production run in 2003 and was only available bagged.)  Once Hasbro had the mold back, the began to use it again.

Funskool (India) Flint Variants

At the time that Funskool ceased production of Flint, there were three major Flint variants in the world: Hasbro, Estrela and Funskool.  Below you can see a comparison of all three:

Hasbro (US) Flint, Muralha (Brazilian), Funskool (India) Flint

Once the mold was back in Hasbro's control, they quickly put it into production.  The first use was in the high quality 2004 Night Force set.  The figure was given new arms this time around and is also noteworthy for the return of the 1988 date stamp.  The reason this is interesting is that it appears Hasbro had control of another set of Flint legs rather than the ones returned from Funskool.  The Night Force set also included Beach Head: who was also late of Funskool.  When Hasbro updated the date stamp on Beach Head, they made it a 2003 date.  So, why was Beach Head updated and Flint not?  Maybe it was easier to fix the 1988 on Flint's mold.  Or, there might have been two sets of molds.  It is known that many figures from 1985 and earlier had two molds.  But, there was just one set of instructions to put them together.  So, it's possible that Hasbro had access to Flint all along, but not the means to put the mold into production.  Once they got the details back from Funskool, they used their mold.  This might also explain why Flint's accessories, that were included with the Funskool figure, never appeared in the U.S. again.

Large quantities of "unproduced" Night Force samples were sold to American collectors in the mid-2000's.  The major difference is that the figures feature all white pants.

Hasbro used the mold again in 2005.  This time, the figure was given a new head in a Comic Pack.  The rest of the body was the standard Flint, but the colors were similar to the original version.  The Comic Pack was widely clearanced and is generally unpopular with collectors.

The final appearance of Flint was when Master Collector used his head for two convention figures in 2010.  These heads were put on 1993 Duke bodies.  They are solid figures, but would have likely been better received were they full V1 Flint repaints.

In all, there are a lot of Flint figures for a collector to track down.  There are not any "out there" repaints that are often associated with foreign Joe releases.  But, the differences are great and plentiful enough that fans of the mold and character can spend a lot of time searching for.

Muralha - Brazilian Exclusive Flint

Flint has long been one of my favorite Joe characters. Over the years, I've profiled many versions of him but still consider the original mold and paint scheme to be my favorite. As I examined that figure twice on my original site, it was difficult to come up with a way to re-evaluate the character without going back and re-doing something I had already done. Instead of doing that, though, I found a different way. And, in the process, found a new version of Flint that is just different enough from the American version to be interesting. I present Muralha: the Brazilian version of Flint.

To me, Flint is the consummate Joe figure. The main reason is that while his look is grounded in military design, he also features elements that give him personality. The cocky beret, short sleeves with gloves and shotgun shells on his chest give Flint a look that makes him iconic in the Joe line. Flint shows a thoughtfulness in design that transcends his own remarkable release year and makes him one of the most recognizable figures in the history of the line. He is what made the Joe line enduring. You can look at Flint and see he is a military toy. However, you can also look at him and see a character that is not just a nameless soldier. It is this combination of realism suggesting fantasy that made the vintage Joe line successful while its imitators fizzled away.

In my collection, Flint is still one of the most important characters. Regardless of which version I choose to use, Flint is almost always one of the leaders on any significant mission. He is a field commander who holds the respect of his men but also a cunning warrior who is probably the most dangerous man in any combat situation. That idea is what makes Flint so interesting to me. I see Flint as someone who is incredibly talented and whose actions appear to border on recklessness. However, he fully knows what he is capable of achieving and does not take unnecessary risks. I have this as an element that has held back Flint's career since some view him as arrogant and full of himself. More savvy battlefield officers, though, would take Flint as their first choice when choosing a combat unit. This leaves Flint with a cadre of hardened fighters on his side while the more cautious, politically inclined officers tend to view him as a liability. This creates internal conflict in Flint as he always viewed his military career as a stepping stone to greatness. Now, he finds his advancement blocked by those whose careers he has elevated due to his service under their command. It is a hard lesson and one that slowly embitters Flint as he continues to risk his life out of a sense of duty yet knowing that he will most likely never be able to achieve his ultimate goals for the very same reason.

Muralha is actually of very high quality. It seems that Brazilian figures grew more brittle as the line went on. Muralha feels like an American figure and would be nearly indistinguishable from most American figures of his time. If you really know what you're looking for, though, you can feel that the plastic is a slightly more brittle than the American figure. Muralha's colors are obviously meant to mimic the American figure. The green on his legs, though, is actually a shade darker than the American Flint and gives the figure a more muted appearance. It is a subtle difference and not on you would notice if you did not have an American figure against which to compare it. Muralha's accessories are the same as Flint's. They are a darker green as well, though. Muralha's accessories are pretty much the same color as the Tiger Force Recondo's backback. These would actually stand out were a collector to aquire them unknowingly. The final picture at the end of this profile shows the 3 main versions of Flint: the American Flint, Muralha and the Funskool Flint. Side by side you can see the subtle color differences in the figures and the accessories and gain a greater appreciation for the nuances in each country's release.

Personally, I'm not done with this Flint mold. While it may seem overused to an extent, the reality is that this version of Flint has really only appeared in 3 basic color schemes: the original with it's slight variations, Tiger Force and Night Force. All three of those paint jobs lend themselves to the same type of environments as well. As such, I would be happy to see Flint re-appear in a desert or arctic theme. His mold is such that it could be adapted for those types of paint applications without a major overhaul. Plus, the figure mold is one that collectors still enjoy. Unlike Duke, Stalker or Snake Eyes, Flint has yet to be overdone to the point where collectors are sick of him. The fact that he's a major character only furthers my case.

The Flint mold has had a long history. It was first used in the US in 1985 and then again in 1986. After that, the figure was repainted in Tiger Force colors in 1988. At this time, the date stamp on the figure was changed from 1985 to 1988. Around late 1988 or early 1989 Flint began to appear on the backs of Argentine figures made by Plastirama. However, he was never actually released as Plastirama ceased operations around that time. In either 1989 or 1990, Muralha was released in Brazil. This figure features the 1988 date stamp as well. Sometime in the mid 1990's, the Flint mold then made it's way to India where it was released by Funskool. In India, though, the figure was never released with the original Flint forearms. Those appear to have gotten lost or damaged at some point between the use by Estrela and the mold's arrival in India. As was common practice for them at the time, Funskool blurred out the date stamp on Flint's legs. You can still see a faint mark of the 1988 date stamp, though. In April of 2003, Flint was returned to Hasbro and the mold was used in the 2004 Night Force set. This mold, though, featured a prominent 1988 date stamp on the figure's leg. This is significant since the Night Force Beach Head figure that was in the same set also featured a mold returned to Hasbro by Funskool in April of 2003. The Beach Head mold featured a rubbed out date stamp but the Night Force Beach Head featured a prominent 2003 date stamp.   So, the question is why did Hasbro update the date stamp on the Beach Head but not on Flint? While we will probably never know for sure one of the more probable explanations is that there was an additional mold for Flint's legs that had remained under Hasbro's control since 1988. Flint was a very popular figure and character so it is possible that his original figure was created from multiple molds. Regardless, though, it shows the subtle changes that can occur in molds as they move across continents over the decades.

Time was, figures like Muralha were almost impossible to find. The Brazilian postal service is not the most reliable resource in the world and trading with Brazilian collectors always posed a unique challenge. While Brazilian figures were desirable, the inherent risk in sending high value packages to and from Brazil made many collectors nervous. One lost package was enough to stifle a collection for a long time. Those who wanted Brazilian figures, though, had few other options. Those American collectors who did have multiples of the Brazilian figs usually wanted a great deal in exchange for them. As such, collectors were often shut out of the figures like Muralha as they didn't feel the figure justified a $40 price tag but could rarely find it for less without incurring the risk of trading to Brazil. Now, though, that has changed a bit. Finally, the Joe collecting world has become big enough to support a dealer network that is capable of bringing figures like Muralha to American collectors for decent prices. I highly recommend checking out online dealers for figures such as these as they have been one of the first reliable dealers to continually stock the lesser known Brazilian figure variants. I feel every collector owes to themselves to have at least one or two foreign figures in their collection. If only as a conversation piece. Foreign figs add depth to a collection and give it a bit more personality. Time was, they were going to cost you. Now, though, a small investment will bring some foreign figures to your collection. I feel it is one of the most worthwhile purchases you can make.